Hermetically sealed contact signal generator



Dec. 6, 1960 A. z. PURZYCKI 2,963,545

HERMETICALLY SEALED CONTACT SIGNAL GENERATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 16, 1957 FIG.

INVENTOR ALFRED Z. PURZYCKI ATTOREY Dec. 6, 1960 A. z. PURZYCKI 2,963,545

HERMETICALLY SEALED CONTACT SIGNAL GENERATOR Filed April 16, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3

mvsm'oh ALFRED Z. PURZYCKI ATTORNEY United States Patent HERMETICALLY SEALED CONTACT SIGNAL GENERATOR Filed Apr. 16, 1957, Ser. No. 653,144 9 Claims. Cl. 17817) This invention relates to signal generators and more particularly to a hermetically sealed contact signal generator for printing telegraph systems.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a high speed signal generator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a signal generator that will require a minimum of maintenance.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a hermetically sealed contact making device for a signal generator which requires a minimum of energy to actuate it.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention a pair of contact actuators of magnetic material are enclosed in a hermetically sealed envelope, a pair of plates of magnetic material are individually connected electrically through the envelope to the contact actuators and are each provided at its end opposite the end connected to its associated actuator with a projection, and a permanent magnet is slidably mounted to carry its poles into and out of effective magnetic association with the projections thereby to operate the contact actuators.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention disclosed herein the permanent magnet is shifted from effective position to ineffective position by a rocker member that may be rocked from one position to another by levers of a keyboard transmitter of a printing telegraph apparatus which levers in turn are selectively set under control of the key actuated code bars of the transmitter. However, the magnet could be moved by other instrumentalities such for example as the tape sensing pins illustrated in a second embodiment of the invention also disclosed herein.

A better understanding of the invention may be had by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the signal generator embodying the present invention used in connection with a keyboard transmitter of a printing telegraph apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a view representing an alternate condition of operation of the device shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the signal generator used with a tape transmitter for printing telegraph apparatus.

In the embodiments of the invention to be described hereinafter, the details of the telegraph transmitters which cooperate with the device according to the present inven- -tion, but which do not constitute a part of the combination comprising the invention, have not been shown in the drawings and will not be described herein since the keyboard transmitter is shown and described in United States Patent No. 2,607,848, granted August 19, 1952, to W. J. Zenner, and the tape transmitter is shown and described in United States Patent No. 2,296,845, granted September 29, 1942, to M. T. Goetz which disclosures are incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof.

Briefly, the apparatus embodying the device according to the present invention where it is used in a keyboard ice transmitter embraces primarily a base which is provided at its forward portion with a keyboard (not shown) of usual form and which is adapted to house the keylevers 11, shown in section in Fig. l, and the selector mechanism operated thereby, exemplified by the code bars 12. Mounted on the base are the signal generator 13 and related parts which are selectively controlled by the aforementioned selector mechanism of which code bars 12 are a part. A motor (not shown) for supplying the power for operating the keyboard transmitter is appropriately mounted on the base portion in position to ertect the rotation of an operating shaft 14. The cyclic rotation of transmitting earns 15 carried on shaft 14 is governed by a single revolution clutch, as set forth in the aforementioned patent.

Having reference to Fig. 1, the keylevers 11 control the setting of code bars 12 permutably. As set forth in said patent, the code bars are normally biased rightwardly by individual springs (not shown), but are held in their leftward position by a bail member (similar to bail member 48 disclosed in said patent) which bears against suitableshouldered portions on the code bars 12. The code bars 12 are normally restrained against rightward movement by said bail member under the control of a key controlled trip off means (not shown) of a nature substantially as disclosed in said patent.

As more fully described in said patent, the clutch for controlling the rotation of shaft 14 is of the signal revolution type, and is normally locked against rotation by a release lever (not shown) controlled by a universal bar 16 upon the actuation of a keylever 11. According to the present invention, each of the code bars 12 is provided with a vertically projecting portion 17, the upper end of each of which is adapted to cooperate in abuttal relation with a projection 18 of a specially conformed interponent member 19. Interponent members 19 are mounted on a common rod 21 appropriately located below the shaft 14, and are provided with individual cam follower portions 22 adapted to cooperate with their respective transmitting cams 15. The interponent members 19 are normally biased upwardly and counterclockwise simultaneously by individual springs 23, said interponent members being slotted at 24 to permit vertically reciprocating movement thereof by cams 15. Interponent members 19 are thus subjected to two kinds of motion; namely, oscillatory and reciprocatory. The cams 15 are helically arranged around the shaft 14 to effect the reciprocation of the interponent members 19 sequentially, in a manner well known in the art. Each of the interponent members 19 is provided at its upper end with a pair of arms 25 and 26, having inwardly directed and confronting abutment portions 27 and 28, respectively. adapted to overhang a corresponding pair of abutments 29 and 31 of a rockable and oscillatable member 32 supported pi otally on a pivot rod 33. Thus, when a code bar 12 is actuated ri htwardlv in response to a mark n condition, its projection 17 will actuate the associated interponent member 19 in a clockwise direction to present abutment 27 over the abutment 29 of the rockable member 32. Then, when the interponent member 19 is depressed by its cam 15 the rockable or oscillatable member 32 will be rotated to its counterclockwise position, Fi 2.

Cooperating with an upper extension 34 of the rockable member 32, on opposite edges thereof, are a pair of stabilizing elements or retainers 35 and 36 suitably supported on studs 37 and 38, respectively, and normally biased toward each other and toward the extension 34 by a common spring 39. The retainers 35 and 36 are alternately effective to maintain the rockable or oscillatable member 32 in its clockwise or counterclockwise position. For example, rockable member 32in rocking from its clockwise position as shown in Fig. 1 to its counterclockwise position as shown in Fig. 2, will urge the retainer 35 leftwardly against the pull of spring 39 and the coaction of camming surfaces 40 and stud 42 will cause the retainer 35 to rotate counterclockwise about its pivot 37 until the end 41 of retainer 35 has slipped off of the extension 34 of rockable or oscillatable member 32, whereupon retainer 36 will have dropped behind extension 34 permitting spring 39 as shown in Fig. 2 to maintain the rockable or oscillatable member 32 in the counterclockwise position.

The rockable or oscillatable member 32 has a lever arm 50 extending laterally from it for connection to the midpoint of a tension spring 52. This tension spring 52 is stretched between a pair of laterally extending arms 53 and 54 of a slidably mounted plate 55. The plate 55 is provided with a pair of slots 56 and 57 into which extend guide pins 58 and 59, respectively, for guiding the plate 55 in its movement vertically. Suitably mounted on the plate 55 is U-shaped permanent magnet 60 having two laterally extending legs 6-1 and 62. Leg 61 comprises the north pole of the permanent magnet 60 and leg 62 comprises the south pole of permanent magnet 60.

A pair of bent plates 67 and 68 made of magnetic material are suitably mounted for cooperation with the legs 61 and 62 of the permanent magnet 60 to utilize the magnetic flux from the legs 61 and 62 of the permanent magnet. Bent plate 67 is provided with a laterally extending portion 69 and bent plate 68 is provided with a similar laterally extending portion 70. Leg 61 of the permanent magnet 60 extends into the space between the laterally extending portions 69 and 70 of the plates 67 and 68, respectively, whereas the leg 62 of the permanent magnet 60 is below the laterally extending portion 70 of plate 68. Thus, the portions 69 and 70 straddle the leg 61 whereas the legs 61 and 62 straddle the laterally extending portions 70.

The plates 67 and 68 are provided at their ends opposite to the ends that are adjacent the permanent magnet 60 with laterally extending portions 72 and 71, respectively. The portion 71 has fixed to it a connector member 73 that in turn supports a contact support 74 made of magnetic material. This contact support 74, which is resilient. carries at its upper end a pair of contacts 75 and 76 that are positioned to engage either one of a pair of contacts 77 and 78, respectively. Conta t 77 is mounted upon a contact support 79 which is made of magnetic material and which is electrically connected to the laterally extending portion 72 of the plate 67.

vThe contact 78 is mounted upon a contact support 89 of a nonmagnetic material. All of the contacts 75, 76, 77 and 78 are enclosed Within a glass envelope 81. The contact supports 79 and 80 extend through the wall of the glass envelope 81 and the connector member 73 also extends through the wall of the envelope 81 which is supported by the plates 67 and 68.

With the apparatus in the position shown in Fig. 1 a spacing or no current signal would be transmitted over wires (not shown) connected to the connector member 73 and the contact support 79, outside the envelope 81. With the apparatus in this position contacts 76 and 78 would be in engagement since the contact support 74 is normally biased in a direction to hold the contacts 76 and 78 in contact.

Slidably mounted on the rod 21 is a detent member 90 which is guided at its upper end by a stud 91 adapted to cooperate slidably with an open ended slot 92. Detent 90 is urged in an upward direction by a spring 93 to normally coact with a cam 94 carried on the shaft 14. Detent member 90 is provided with a knife edge instrumentality 95 adapted to cooperate with individual knife edge instrumentalities 96 depending from the several interponent members 19. Interponent members 19 are also provided with stop portions 97 and 98 adapted to cooperate with the knife edge 95 to limit the clockwise and counterclockwise movement of the respective interponent members 19. The timing of the cam 94 is such that when the code bars 12 are positioned or set permutably pursuant to the actuation of a keylever 11, the interponent members 19 will be correspondingly positioned in their clockwise and counterclockwise positions to cause stops 97 and 98, respectively, to bear against the knife edge 95, so that during the early part of the cycle of rotation of the shaft 14, and hence cam 94, the detent member will be permitted to rise due to the pull of springs 93, to bring the knife edge to its upper position, with the depending knife edge 96 disposed on the right or the left side of the knife edge 95, depending upon the permuted setting of the interponent members 19. The interponent members 19 will therefor be locked against rightward or leftward movement by having the knife edge 95 positioned either between the stop 97 and the knife edge 96 or between the stop 98 and the knife edge 96. The interponent members 19 are not, however, locked against vertical movement under control of the cams 15. The instrumentalities 95 and 96 thus provide an interlocking means whereby vertical movement of the interponent members 19 is afforded while other movements of the interponent members 19 is precluded. With this arrangement, it is possible to reset or reposition the code bars 12 in accordance with a new code combination, while the signal generator is operating to transmit the preceding code signal, thus providing an overlap.

In the operation of the arrangement according to the invention as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the code bars 12 are positioned permutably in response to the operation of keylevers 11, and through projections 17, to thereby correspondingly position the interponent members 19 in their rightward (clockwise) or leftward (counterclockwise) positions. The timing is such that before the code bars 12 are returned to their leftward position, the cam 94 will have rotated sufficiently to permit the detent 90 to rise thereby to cause the knife edge 95 to cooperate with the right or left side of the depending knife edge 96.

While the interponent members 19 are thus constrained, the helically arranged earns 15 coact with the cam portions 22 to sequentially depress said interponent members 19. If an abutment 27 is positioned over the abutment 29, then the rockable or oscillatable member 32 will be rocked in a counterclockwise direction to assume the position shown in Fig. 2. Conversely if an abutment 28 is positioned over the abutment 31, then the rockable or oscillatable member 32 will be rocked in a clockwise direction to the position shown in Fig. 1. Interponent members 19 are thus constrained for vertical reciprocation, despite the further movement of code bars 12 pursuant to the immediately succeeding operation of a keylever, to assure positive response of rockable or oscillatable member 32 in accordance with the presently operated keylever.

When the oscillatable member 32 is in the position shown in Fig. 1 the magnetic flux from the permanent magnet 60 will travel across the gap from the leg 61 to the leg 62 through the laterally extending portion 70 without affecting the contact support 74 since the gap between leg 61 of the permanent magnet 60 and the laterally extending portion 69 of the plate 67 is too great for the flux to be directed through the plate 67. However, when the rockable or oscillatable member 32 is shifted to the position as shown in Fig. 2 lever 50 will, through the action of spring 52, move the plate 55 upwardly as far as it can move as controlled by the eugagement of the bottom of the slot 57 with the guide pin 59. When the plate 55 is moved upwardly it will carry the permanent magnet 60 to a position Where the leg 61 thereof is in close promixity to the laterally extending portion 69 of plate 67 and the leg 62 of the permanent magnet 60 is in close proximity to the laterally extending portion 70 of the plate 68. Thus, with the permanent magnet 60 moved to its upper position the flux gap between the leg 61 and the portion 69 will be appreciably lessened as will be the fiux gap between the leg 62 and the extending portion 70. Consequently, the magnetic flux will flow through the plates 67 and 68 and through the contact supports 74 and 79 and the contact support 74 will be flexed to the left and contact will be made between the contacts 75 and 76 to transmit a signal of marking character over the signal lines (not shown) but connected to the connector member 73 and the contact support 79.

It should be'noted that when the rockable member 32 is rocked from a spacing position to a marking position thereby to shift the permanent magnet 60 into close proximity to the laterally extending portions of the plates 67 and 68 the flux gap in the magnetic circuit which includes the magnet 60 the plates 67 and 68 and the contact supports 74 and 79 is reduced at twice the speed of the speed of travel of the magnet 60 due to the fact that each leg of the magnet moves into proximity with the laterally extending portions of the plates 67 and 68.

In the embodiment of the invention as illustrated in Fig. 3 signals may be generated under control of a shiftable permanent magnet and a sealed type of contact device under control of a tape having code perforations therein.

Tape sensing mechanisms are well known in this art as illustrated in the aforementioned patent to M. T. Goetz, No. 2,296,845, wherein a perforated tape such as the tape 110 is fed intermittenly by a tape feed wheel 111 mounted upon a shaft 112 similar to tape 38, feed wheel 59 and shaft 50 illustrated in said patent. The shaft 112 may be rotated intermittently by instrumentalities such as those disclosed in the aforementioned patent in timed relation to a cam shaft 113 carrying cams such as the cam 114. The cams 114 are each provided with a notch 115 and these notches are arranged successively around the shaft 113 in a helical manner such that, upon rotation of the shaft 113 a corresponding series of contacts are operated sequentially to effect the transmission of permutative code signals in the well known manner. The sensing of the tape is effected by sensing pins 116 mounted upon bell crank levers 117 which are pivoted on a pivot rod 118. There are as many pins 116 and associated levers 117 as there are possible holes across the tape 110. The pins 116 are carried on the horizontal arms of the bell crank levers 117 and the bell crank levers 117 are urged to rock in a clockwise direction about a pivot shaft 118 by springs 119 individual to them. The springs 119 are attached to the bell crank levers 117 adjacent the bottom of the vertically disposed arms thereof and the levers 117 are normally held in the position shown in Fig. 3 by a bail 120. When the bell crank levers 117 are held in the position shown in Fig. 1 by the bail 120 their lower ends will be interposed in the path of a rockable lever 125 which is pivoted on a pivot shaft 126 and which is normally urged to rotate in a clockwise direction by a contractile spring 127. It will be understood that there is one lever 125 for each bell crank lever 117. The levers 125 are prevented from rotating in a clockwise direction due to the engagement of a projection 128 thereon with the outer periphery of the cams 114 until the shaft 113 rotates into position where the projections 128 on the respective levers 125 may be permitted to move into the notch 115 under the influence. of their individual springs 127. When this occurs the levers 125 will be oscillated in a clockwise direction. Each of the levers 125 has its right end fixed to the midpoint of a contractile spring 129 stretched between the arms 130 and 131 of a slidable plate 132 of exactly the same construction of a slidable plate 55 shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The shifting of this plate 132 will effect the same type of operation as that effected by the plate 55 when it is shifted and will effect the transmission of a marking signal when the plate 132 is moved downwardly, from the position in which it is shown, where a permanent magnet 133 on it will be moved to reduce the efiective flux gap between the legs of the permanent magnet plates similar to the plates 67 and 68 shown in Fig; 1.

Although two preferred forms of the invention have been disclosed and described herein it is obvious that changes may be made in the details set forth without departing from the essentials of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A signal generator for printing telegraph apparatus comprising a pair of contact springs of magnetic material operable to transmit permutation code signals, a hermetically sealed envelope enclosing said contact springs, a pair of plates of magnetic material, means connecting said contact springs to said plates through the envelope, a permanent magnet movable from one position to an other into and out of effective magnetic association with said plates for establishing and interrupting a flux flow through said plates and contact springs thereby to actuate said contact springs, and means operable permutably for moving said magnet to effect the transmission of permutation code signals by closing and opening said contacts.

2. A signal generator for printing telegraph apparatus comprising a hermetically sealed envelope, a pair of contact supporting elements mounted in said envelope operable to transmit permutation code signals, said contact supporting elements being made of magnetic material,

.mcans for forming an electrical connection with said contact supporting elements through the wall of the envelope, a pair of plates of magnetic material electrically connected to said connection means, a permanent magnet shiftable from a position to direct a flow of magnetic flux through said plates and contact springs to a position to interrupt the flow of flux through said plates and contact springs thereby to actuate said contact springs, and means operable permutably for shifting said permanent magnet to effect the transmission of permutation code signals by closing and opening said contacts.

3. The combination of a keyboard transmitter for a printing telegraph apparatus with a signal generator responsive to the keyboard comprising an oscillatable member, means including a keyboard for effecting the sequential rocking of said oscillatable member to position the oscillatable member in either one of two positions in accordance with a permutation code as set up by the keys on the keyboard, a permanent magnet movable from one position to another by said oscillatable member, a pair of plates of magnetic material having portions positioned to be magnetically coupled with the poles of the permanent magnet in one of its positions, a hermetically sealed envelope, a pair of contact supporting elements mounted in said envelope operable to transmit permutation code signals by opening and closing said contacts, said supporting elements being made of magnetic material, and means for connecting said plates to said contact supporting members to form a magnetic circuit which is effective when said permanent magnet is moved to the position where it is magnetically coupled with said pair of plates to actuate the contact supporting elements.

4. The combination of a tape transmitter for a printing telegraph apparatus with a signal generator responsive to a perforated tape comprising an oscillatable member, means including a tape sensing arrangement for sequentially rocking said oscillatable member from one position to another to position the oscillatable member in either one of two positions in accordance with a permutation code as set up by the sensing arrangement, a permanent magnet movable from one position to another by said oscillatable member, a pair of plates of magnetic material having portions positioned to be magnetically coupled with the poles of the permanent magnet in one of its positions, a hermetically sealed envelope, a pair of contact supporting elements mounted in said envelope operable to transmit permutation code signals by opening and closing said contacts, said supporting elements being made of magnetic material, and means for connecting said plates to said contact supporting members to form a magnetic circuit which is effective when said permanent magnet is moved to said position where it is magnetically coupled with said plate to actuate said contact supporting elements.

5. A signal generator for printing telegraph apparatus comprising a pair of contact supporting springs of magnetic material operable to transmit permutation code signals by opening and closing said contacts, a hermetically sealed envelope enclosing said contact springs, a pair of plates of magnetic material, means connecting said contact springs to said plates through the envelope, a permanent magnet movable from one position to another into and out of effective magnetic coupling relation with said plates to actuate said contact supporting springs, and means for moving said magnet to effect the transmission of signals including a plate for supporting said magnet, means connected to said plate for urging it to either of two positions, a lever for actuating said last mentioned means, and permutably set means for controlling the operation of said lever.

6. A signal generator for printing telegraph apparatus comprising a pair of contact supporting springs of magnetic material operable to transmit permutation code sig nals by opening and closing said contacts, a hermetically sealed envelope enclosing said contact springs, a pair of plates of magnetic material, means connecting said contact springs to said plates through the envelope, a permanent magnet movable from one position to another into and out of effective magnetic coupling relation with said plates to actuate said contact supporting springs, and means for moving said magnet to effect the transmission of signals including a plate for supporting said magnet, means connected to said plate for urging it to either of two positions, a lever for actuating said last mentioned means, and key controlled means operable permutably for controlling the operation of said lever.

7. A signal generator for printing telegraph apparatus comprising a pair of contact supporting springs of magnetic material operable to transmit permutation code signals by opening and closing said contacts, a hermetically sealed envelope enclosing said contact springs, a pair of plates of magnetic material, means connecting said contact springs to said plates through the envelope, a permanent magnet movable from one position to another into and out of effective magnetic coupling relation with said plates for operating said contact springs, and means for moving said magnet to effect the transmission of sig nals including aplate for supporting said magnet, means connected to said plate for urging it to either of two positions, a lever for actuating said last mentioned means, and tape controlled means for permutably controlling the operation of said lever.

8. A signal generator for printing telegraph apparatus comprising a pair of contact springs of magnetic material operable to generate permutation code signals, a hermetically sealed envelope enclosing said contact springs, a pair of plates of magnetic material, means for connecting said contact springs to said plates through the envelope, a permanent magnet, a plate for supporting said magnet, guide means for guiding said plate from one position to another to carry the magnet into and out of magnetic coupling relation with said pair of plates to actuate said contact springs, a pair of arms extending from the magnetic supporting plate, a spring having its ends fixed to said arms, a lever fixed to said spring intermediate its ends for moving the magnet supporting plate to effect the transmission of permutation code signals, and permutably operable means for actuating said lever.

9. The combination of a keyboard transmitter for a printing telegraph apparatus with a signal generator responsive to the keyboard transmitter comprising an oscillatable member, means including a keyboard for sequentially rocking said oscillatable member to position the oscillatable member in either one of two positions in accordance with a permutation code as set up by the keys on the keyboard, a permanent magnet, a plate for supporting said magnet, guide means for guiding said plate from one position to another, means including a lever for transmitting motion from said oscillatable member to said plate, a pair of plates of magnetic material having portions positioned to be magnetically, effectively coupled with the poles of the permanent magnet in one of its positions, a hermetically sealed envelope, a pair of contact supporting elements mounted in said envelope operable to transmit permutation code signals by opening and closing the contacts, said supporting elements being made of magnetic material, and means for connecting said plates to said contact supporting members to form a magnetic circuit which is effective to actuate said supporting elements when said permanent magnet is moved to said position where it is magnetically, effectively coupled with said pair of plates.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,600,011 MacDonald June 10, 1952 2,600,309 MacDonald June 10, 1952 2,781,415 De Boo Feb. 12, 1957 

